The Unexpected Magic
by XtomJames
Summary: a Doctor Who Merlin Crossover
1. Chapter 1

The Unexpected Magic

A Doctor Who Merlin Crossover

By Kristoffer Martin

Chapter 1) the Warlock without Magic

Merlin found himself mucking out the stables once again. Arthur was being a prat, assigning even more work to his favorite scapegoat and servant. Gaius was also working him hard as a new report of a plague had reach Camelot days prior. Uther ordered Gaius to investigate for a cure before the disease reached the walls of Camelot. Merlin, of course was glad to be out from under the watchful gaze of Gaius, for in the last three days he had been the subject of testing to many sorts of draughts, most of which were foul tasting, containing who knows what. Yet, the stable mucking was not his ideal get away, and it always left him smelling of manure.

"Merlin!" Arthur said, "I see you're lazing about like usual."

"Oh yes, lazing about, if that is what you'd like to call it." Merlin scooped up another pitch full of manure and tossed it into a pile on a wheelbarrow.

"Once you're done here, if you ever get done, I need you to shine my armor, its muddy and I don't want it to rust."

"Yes sire, anything else I can do for you?" Merlin cringed with the sarcasm.

"Glad you asked, I also want you to pick up a new sheath I had commissioned for my sword. It should be done by now."

"Can't you do that yourself? The leather worker is only just there." Merlin pointed to a hut with an open front that lay between the royal stables and the main gates of the castle.

"Now that wouldn't do, the prince fetching his own order, it's what I have you for Merlin." Arthur grinned and took a bite of an apple he produced from a small haversack on his belt.

"Yes sire…" Merlin threw another clump of much into the wheelbarrow as Arthur turned and walked off back to the castle. Looking back and forth Merlin checked to see if anyone was around before he turned back to the mess. "Chwimia rhyddha chan hon chyflea" he said and his eyes glowed gold before the rest of the muck began to scrape its self along the ground to the wheelbarrow of its own accord. At this same instance not far from the stable, the familiar sound of a whirring TARDIS echoed slightly off the trees. The TARDIS materialized, its familiar blue police call box façade forming between two tall oaks. The Doctor opened the door and peered out. "I guess this is the right time, that's what the beacon says," he said to no one in particular. "I can't believe I've ignored this time period, and now there is an alien presence here. Don't these people ever give up?" He exited the TARDIS closing the door tightly behind him.

Holding a wonky looking machine with a hybridized screen with a red blip on it and a tape real spinning at high speed he started to walk right towards Merlin and the stables. It was not long before several more blips appeared including a very large one that seemed right under the castle. Walking right up to the now finishing Merlin the Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and began to scan him.

"Ok, so who are you and what world do you come from?" said the Doctor.

"What? What is that thing," Merlin asked looking up in surprise, "what world am I from, I don't understand the question I was born here, well not here here, but you know, north of here. I'd suggest putting that away, magic is expressly forbidden in Camelot."

"Camelot? This is Camelot? How about that…" the Doctor looked up at the castle, "I always thought it was legend, a folktale. I've avoided this time period of course, its…"

"No seriously put that away," Merlin pushed the screwdriver down just in time to prevent some passerby from seeing it. "Are you mad? If anyone sees you use magic you'll be thrown in the dungeon, or killed." Merlin whispered harshly.

"This isn't magic, magic is a made up whimsical idea. Mostly what we see as magic is just a manipulation of the universe through the right words in the right form. It's like math. "

"I really don't know who you are, but I'd be careful if I were you."

"You still haven't answered my question. I'm the Doctor by the way, you?"

"Oh…uh Merlin," said Merlin suspiciously.

"Merlin…as in the Merlin?" The Doctor spun around his hand in his hair, "This is most interesting. I come here following an alien signal and now they are everywhere. This time is flooded with darilian radiation." He began to run on in a tangent, "…I bet it is why I couldn't enter this time before, it didn't show up. Oh but what is causing the radiation…"

"Radiation, you certainly speak of odd things. You sound like no other warlock I've heard of. Maybe Gaius would know, we could ask him."

"Gaius?" The Doctor turned to Merlin.

"The court physician, he knows a bit about things like this. Maybe there is a legend or something that would explain this ray…radi…what was that word again?"

"Radiation, a type of energy that is emitted, it radiates," The Doctor looked perplex.

"Right, well I'm done here. I need to head back to my room anyways you're welcome to come with and ask Gaius. I am sure he'd welcome another physician to speak with."

"I'm not that sort of Doctor…"

Merlin headed back to the castle followed by the Doctor, stopping briefly to collect the scabbard that Arthur had ordered him to fetch. The guards glanced at the Doctor briefly before turning away uncaring.

"So, this Gaius, he knows a lot does he, about you know?"

"Sheesh not out here," Merlin whispered, "wait until we're in Gaius's chambers."

It was not long before they reached the room, Gaius was well underway in a large experiment of several chemicals.

"Merlin," he said, "grab me some monks wood would you, I think I need a bit more, then I'll need you to test this batch."

"I…uh really, come on Gaius must I, the last batch was disgusting, almost as bad as the troll who married Uther, both in smell and in flavor."

"It was not so bad, and if it stops this plague then it will be worth it won't…Merlin who is your friend?" Gaius asked as he noticed the Doctor standing next to the door.

"Oh, I'm the Doctor, and I can presume you're Gaius I have heard about all the way here from the stables."

"A physician, maybe you can help me I am attempting to make a cure for a plague that is migrating towards Camelot as we speak. The ailments have been said to be devastating, small pocks form about the chest and arms that itch, and a severe fever and cough develop before the person dies a sudden and often violent death. It has killed three hundred already in the kingdom to the east."

"It sounds like small pox to me," said the Doctor absent-mindedly.

"Small pox, what is this small pox?"

"A disease carried by a virus by the same name, in Latin it is called Variola and if it has killed so many already then it is probably the major form of the disease."

"I haven't a clue what you're talking about, what is a virus?"

"A virus is a small semi-living organism that uses host bodies to replicate its self. You'll need an antiviral or inoculation of the virus which can be administered within three days to prevent further out break, prior inoculation can also prevent the spread of the disease. "

"We still need a cure, and if you cannot speak sense I will have to ask you to leave."

The Doctor sighed, "let me see what you've done so far." The Doctor then stood over the brew and dipped his finger in to the mix before tasting it. The sour taste of stewed spinach, monks wort, calowlily oil, and baby's breathe filled his mouth.

"Well this won't cure them. Poison them further yes, but cure them, no. "

Merlin snickered, "I knew that stuff wasn't right, tasted foul."

Gaius sneered, "And what pray tell do you think we should do then?"

"As I said," Said the Doctor, "make an inoculation or an aerosol that can be breathed in that introduces the virus' shell to allow the body to become immune to it before the actual disease reaches Camelot."

"Okay, and how do we do this?"

"We'll need eggs, one of the sick people, and a few other things, which I have back in my TARDIS."

"Your what?" said Merlin and Gaius at the same time.

"TARDIS, Time and Relative Dimension in Space…I'll be right back, get me those eggs and a sick person." The Doctor rushed out of the room followed by Merlin.

"Wait, I'm coming with you."

It was not long before the found themselves back at the blue box nestled between two oaks. The Doctor walked right up to the door and opened it followed by Merlin who caught the door just as it was about to close.

"Amazing…" said Merlin as he entered, "Its bigger on the inside, what sort of magic is this? I've never read anything like this before."

"Merlin, the great warlock, revealing his secrets is he," said the Doctor. "This isn't magic, I keep telling you magic isn't real it's a science. Now where is…A…" he began to walk around the TARDIS floor, "B…ah C!" Opening a floor panel he extracted a box which he opened. "C, for Carianite, coupler, coil, cantilever, Christie, and a centrifuge." Placing the items back in the box except for the centrifuge he placed the box back in its place and closed the panel. "Now for N…n…where the…oh right." He ran past Merlin who was still gawking at the size of the room, and hurried down a ramp which lead to the level below. "Wrong level, N…n…right…" he opened another panel just as the TARDIS began to whir.

"WHAT!" running back up the ramp he found Merlin scrambling around the control panel.

"What did you touch? I leave you alone for one second and you go and touch something you don't understand?"

"It wasn't me, honest, I was standing there, staring at that" he pointed to the central column which was now moving, "and it started to move, so I figured something would stop it..."

"OI…" the Doctor pressed a button and flipped a leaver ran around to the other side and pulled the pin from a pinball machine and hammered on a spot. The whirring stopped and the TARDIS again became silent.

"You, go outside and make sure we're in the same place, I need to get some needles." The Doctor went back down the ramp and pried open the floor panel. Merlin did as he was told and opened the door to find Arthur and several armed guards encircled around the TARDIS.

"Arthur…"

"Yes Merlin, where have you been? I ordered you to clean my armor hours ago, only to find that you've disappeared off with some person claiming to be a Doctor who has riled Gaius to no end, and now I find you here in this strange box."

"It's been hours?" Merlin said this as he realized that the sun was just setting and dusk had set.

"Uh…I can explain."

"I'm sure you can, let's hear the excuse this time."

"Well you see the Doctor said he needed a few things to make a cure for this plague that Gaius has been working on and it was in here. So we came here and we've been searching for the things ever since. "

"Oh really, and how is it so hard to find these things in a box that small?"

"It's much bigger on the inside than it is on the outside," came the Doctors voice from behind Merlin. "Ok Merlin out with you I have what I need," the Doctor pushed Merlin out of the Door following close behind, allowing the door to shut on its own behind him.

"So you're this mysterious doctor I've heard Gaius speak of, I am Arthur, and my father would like to have a word with you, and Merlin, go shine my armor!"

***


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Technology, the Highest Crime**

The Doctor strolled into the great hall accompanied by Arthur and a handful of guards. The room was clad with wall hangings and a long central rug. A long table that had just been prepared for the evening meal filled the center of the room. Uther turned from where he stood studying the wall in deep thought and looked at the Doctor and his son. The smile on his face was benevolent, more of a grimace than a smile of delightedness.

"You are this doctor that Gaius has informed me of. You are oddly dressed aren't you, certainly not like any physician I have seen before," He was interrupted by Arthur.

"Father, this man was seen exiting a strange blue box in the woods near the stables on the west end."

"What manner of box is it?" Uther asked

"Well it's a blue box, says police on it, about seven feet tall…" said the Doctor as he scratched his neck. Gaius and Merlin rushed in moments later.

"Sire, this man is no threat, I assure you. He is helping me discover a cure for the plague," said Gaius in a huffing voice.

"Oh it's alright Gaius, I was going to meet the good king sooner or later. By the way, here is the remaining pieces you'll need." Out of his right pocket the Doctor produced a syringe, and out of the other a small jewel shard. "Get a sample of blood and when I am done I'll meet you in your quarters. And don't touch the metal prongs on this crystal."

"Intriguing," was all Gaius said before bowing to Uther with the assumption of dismissal.

"Gaius," started Uther, "what is it that he has given you there?"

"I am not sure, Sire." Gaius erected himself slowly, "but it seems that this doctor knows something about the plague and has discovered a means of isolating a cure. I can only guess this has something to do with it." As he said this he produced the crystal and syringe and before he could do anything Arthur scooped up the crystal grasping it fully on the two prongs. In mid-sentence, he gave a great yelp and dropped the crystal to the floor as a sharp spark arced across the steel bands of his glove.

"What foul magic have you brought into my land?" Uther rounded the table, his face squarely centered on the Doctor.

"Oi, magic again, really, you people seem so obsessed with magic. As I was explaining to Merlin magic isn't much more than another form of technology. A means to manipulate the physics of the…"

Uther reached his hand up and squeezed the Doctor's face from cheek to cheek. "I asked you about that jewel, now answer your king!"

The Doctor reached up with a hand, a finger held up as in gesturing one moment, and then tapped Uther's hand. "I dan't dalk dike dis…" Uther released his hand and waved the guards over, who without question grasped the Doctor's arms.

"It is a power source," said the Doctor as he rocked his jaw back and forth, "I need it, well, we need it, to power the centrifuge to separate the blood sample that contains the virus that is causing this plague you face. It's like a battery…"

"What nonsense, viruses, centra…centra…whatever that thing is, you are nothing more than a lowly magic user."

"As I said before I don't use…"

"Magic!" Uther said with deadly gusto, "is strictly forbidden, any user will be made example of. How do you plead to this charge?"

"Surely Sire," said Gaius, "he is innocent, I held it without a single spark, maybe it is as he says it is. Before you pass judgment, please allow me to examine the crystal. And maybe he can still help us with this plague, his usefulness is at least worth a stay of execution."

Uther had a looked of contempt stretch across his face, before he sighed, "fine Gaius, so be it. If he stops this plague from spreading, then he will live. For now, he is to be put into the dungeon like any other criminal."

"But sire, how is he to wo…"

"My decision is final, Gaius. If you want his help you can move your equipment down to his cell and work from there."

It was not long before the Doctor found himself behind wrought iron bars in a smelly dungeon cell. The hay was damp and moldy, the air was cool, and the stone floor was hardly comfortable. Gaius had erected, with the help of Merlin, a worktable in the hall. The centrifuge, syringes, and crystal were in place, and Gaius looked to the Doctor with earnest anticipation.

"Alright, well, for starters you'll notice a wire coming out of the back of the centrifuge, connect the line on the right to the red shaded metal tab on the crystal, and the other to the green."

"Do you mean this?" Gaius pulled a remote connect for a computer out and held it up to the Doctor. Merlin was looking on in confusion.

"No, the black cord on the back, that cord isn't necessary." The Doctor pointed to the back of the centrifuge, which was dangling over the edge of the table.

"Which side of the cord is the 'right' cable?"

"Oh for the love of…" The Doctor pulled out of his pocket his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the lock, a few seconds of buzzing and the door swung inward. "…I don't have time for this…ok well sort of. Right, now then…" The Doctor twisted the wires as they needed to go, "…so we need a blood sample of someone infected." Gaius looked concerned for a moment at the Doctor's screwdriver before he answered.

"Blood sample…yes right…Merlin did you get the blood sample?"

"No, I haven't had time, as soon as Arthur found us I rushed to get you, and I haven't polished his armor yet."

"This is more important Merlin. Ride and get a sample."

"Wait," the Doctor interceded, "is there a way out of here? Usually these old castles have some sort of secret passage out of the dungeon."

"Why, what for?" Gaius looked anxious, his eyebrow lifted.

"I'll need a good sample, using one of those syringes. Neither of you have any experience with it. Besides it would take Merlin far too long to ride there and back just to retrieve a sample."

"The plague is already at the door of Camelot." Merlin pitched in, "I've already seen the sick arriving here for help."

"Why didn't you say anything about this?"

"Sorry Gaius, but with everything that happened it slipped my mind. They are camped just outside of the lowest quarter."

"Great, then a sample is far nearer than I expected. Retrieve one of the infected and bring them here. It will be even easier to diagnose."

It wasn't too long before Merlin returned with an elderly woman, who's skin had turned a dark ever green.

"That isn't small pox!" said the Doctor, "Please sit so I can take a blood sample."

"No!" cried the woman, "no no…it comes…."

"What is coming?" said Gaius

"It screams in the night, a terrible…ooohhh!" the woman shook with terror before her eyes rolled back into her head and blood began to spurt from her nose. Her body quivered as she drew ever-shorter breaths, finally after a few moments her eyes closed, her breath ceased and her body fell limp.

"Another poor soul fallen dead from this disease," said Gaius.

"Hmm, but this isn't an earth based disease. No, not at all, but the question is what is an alien disease doing on earth in this century?" The Doctor picked up a syringe and placed it into the woman's arm before extracting a large quantity of blood. The liquid was not red as it should have been but a dark blue.

"Why is her blood like that?" asked Merlin.

"We'll soon find out, but for one it seems no more oxygen was being transported by her blood. Her body suffocated to death." The Doctor took the vial, placed in the centrifuge, and started it. A minute later the blood has separated, the blood cells that should have been red were a blue green on the bottom of the vial and the plasma was floating on the top, it too was a blue color.

"This disease is beyond anything I have seen before," said Gaius, "what is it Doctor?"

"It looks like the affects of the Kaliny Flu. A rare flu that only occurs once every five hundred years on New Earth, of course it shouldn't even exist on this planet at all." The Doctor scratched his chin looking at the vial, before pulling out his screwdriver and, changing the setting, he scanned it over the vial. Little bubbles formed releasing a green gas in the free space of the vial.

"What is that Doctor?" asked Gaius.

"The gas?"

"No the thing you're holding there."

"It is a sonic screwdriver."

"A what, I've never heard of such a thing. What magic realm does it come from?"

"As I said to Merlin, and Uther, and everyone else in the main hall, there is no such thing as magic."

"But there is," said Merlin, as he looked for any of the guards, to which he saw none. "Nofia ata", Merlin's eyes glowed gold as an empty syringe floated in mid air.

"Ah, power of the word. There is Cairianite power here. This is old ways of manipulating the universe. Hmm how is it that you can use this with Welsh?"

"Do you not know of Uther's struggle to eradicate all magic users?" Merlin said releasing the spell, they syringe fell to the floor shattering.

"Only rumors, it is legend by my time, many thousands of years old" replied the Doctor.

"Thousands of years?" Gaius looked puzzled, "and just where do you come from, or rather when?"

"Well, by the current calendar you use, the year twenty three thousands right abouts."

Gaius pulled away from him as Merlin stood in awe.

"You…you are a dark magic user indeed if you can come so far back in time. Even the most powerful spells cannot accomplish such a task."

"It's not magic. Look there are laws that belong to this universe. Just because there are different ways of manipulating those laws to affect the universe doesn't mean it's magic. Of course this disease isn't magic either, and you and everyone you've come into contact with have been exposed."

"Exposed…" Merlin grimaced, "Arthur."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Masterful Plan by a Not So Masterful Trickster**

"Look…" said the Doctor as he was being held down by guards, "I can help…"

"You have done quite enough!" Uther looked down at him with ambivalence, "You have been found guilty of using magic which has been outlawed, you shall be hanged tomorrow at midday."

"Wait! As I keep telling you…its..ufff…not…uff…would you stop that" the guards stopped momentarily before a wary eye from the king kept them on their orders. It was not long before he found himself back in the dungeon cell, Merlin, Gaius, and Arthur right behind him. Arthur dismissed the guards who looked frightened by and larger of the Doctor as it was, and they quietly retreated up the stairs.

"Merlin informs me that you're not a magic user at all, and that you know exactly what this plague is." Arthur spoke, a slight goatee now graced his chin. "I trust him, he has shown me that magic isn't exactly the devilish thing my father believes it to be. The dragon, five years ago, nearly destroyed Camelot and he stood with me, and there he used magic to save Camelot. We've since learned a great deal together, under Gaius's tutelage. So speak candidly and maybe we can come to an agreement. "

"Five years, and still his energy sits beneath these walls" said the Doctor looking about as though he were entranced. His eyes wandered around the cell as he clenched his hands in his hair. "Well, we have two options, I can sit here and wait to die, or we can go and stop this plague. " Taking his sonic screwdriver out again he quickly unlocked the gate to his cell. "Now this plague comes from a planet called Tellados, the sixth planet in the Aldeen cluster which you know as Taurus. Though how it got here I don't know. For that we need to get to my TARDIS. "

Gaius sighed, "I'm too old for this, I will see what I can do about Uther here. Something had to change his mind about you."

"I would suspect a great many things have happened since yesterday." The Doctor frowned for a moment, "well best be off, good luck Gaius." The Doctor ran down the hall away from the stairs as Gaius ascended. Arthur and Merlin were right behind.

"You know there isn't a way out on this end," said Arthur, as he caught up to the Doctor.

"Isn't there?" said the Doctor with a wink. Reaching the last cell, he unlocked it and stepped inside. A strange glyph was written on the stonewall at eye level. "There is always a way out, remember 'magic' is what built this city Arthur." The Doctor leaned close to the glyph and peered at it and with a brilliant glow the wall disappeared and in its place was a high arched doorway.

"The Glyphs of Syrampha, technology that predates the whole of human history. Read it for what it is and it reveals its secrets."

The doorway opened into a vast room that neither Arthur nor Merlin had ever seen. Amidst the dust and cobwebs was a vast treasure mostly of cut jewels and in the center was a pedestal marred with many more of the runes.

"One day Merlin you'll know far more than any man has of your time, and that knowledge lies here. But for now we must move on." The Doctor approached another glyph on the far wall and as that door opened the previous closed sealing its self shut.

"There is something on Earth that has caused this plague, brought it with them here?" asked Merlin stepping over a fallen stone, "I mean something from out there?" He pointed up at the dark starry night sky thousands of stars glowed brightly.

"I'm from a planet out there…" mused the Doctor, "called Gallifrey, only it isn't there any longer."

Arthur looked up briefly before turning his head over his shoulder, the sound of alarms were trumpeting. "We best be moving quicker, they've figured out we have escaped."

"Not a problem…" the Doctor said, "I've got my key out and…" pressing on the key as though it were a car remote a quick beep came from in front of them. "Everyone in to the TARDIS."

The Doctor entered first followed by Merlin, but a bestaggered Arthur stopped abruptly. "You can't expect for all of us to fit in there, what type of…"

"Just…would you just get inside," said Merlin, "I promise you it's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside."

Arthur stood with his mouth agape, unsure how to respond, before begrudgingly entering into the blue box.

"Ok, this is some magic!" he exclaimed, "How do you get it so big on the inside?"

"Oh, it is just a dimensional fold created by a temporal shift of the main matrix of the TARDIS core, the outside is just a moveable façade sort to speak."

"What?" Arthur said

"He means what you saw on the outside isn't really the exterior of this…" Merlin turned to the Doctor, "…and what exactly is a tardis?"

"TARDIS, Time and Relative Dimension in Space" said the Doctor.

"Right, okay, sure…" Arthur looked at Merlin as Merlin looked back at him.

"So, what we need is to track the energy signature of the spores which are causing this plague."

"How do we do that?" asked Merlin

"Simple, we tap a source of the spores which have the energy signature and then we track it, and I've got just the source." The Doctor lifted a floor plate and started rummaging through one labeled Z.

"Zerbex, 'Zany Tricks for Kids', Zanzerbub, nasty race that was, little teeth, gnawed on their victims down to the bone. Ah here it is a Zorthene disease scanner, the handheld version. Useless on most human diseases, but perfect for extracting spores of the Kaliny Flu."

Again Merlin and Arthur looked at each other before turning with confused looks to the Doctor.

"Just hold still…" The Doctor scanned over Merlin and Arthur both. The scanner brilliantly shown red all over them. "…as I expected, furion radiation. Ok so…" he walked to the computer console and set the scanner on a small pedestal, "…we upload the information and…got it. Laying in a course…" he slammed a switch down and kicked part of the console, which hummed to life. The steady whir changed to a harmonic fall and lift, as though the TARDIS was breathing, it rumbled, rattled, and racked back and forth before reforming in a glade not far from the burrow of Kinsihg.

"I know this place," said Arthur, "It is Kinsihg, or what is left of it."

"What's happened to the trees? It's as though they have all just withered."

"The Kaliny flu doesn't just affect animal life, it affects all life. Plants and water life are the last to go as it takes ages to gestate in them, but once it does, the spores destroy the tissue around it and turn it into a green blue sludge." The Doctor said pointing out the green blue ooze that now trickled down the trunks of the trees. "Don't touch anything, walk on the path, you don't want to get that stuff on you."

"Right…"sighed Arthur. Merlin took the lead and the trio walked down the main path. On either side were the corpses of the dead, livestock, human, and plants alike.

Merlin turned to the Doctor, continuing to walk backwards down the path, "Something has just occurred to me, why won't the spores affect you?"

The Doctor smiled, "it's a common vaccination where I come from. That's why it only occurs every have millennium, a new strain forms and the old vaccination just doesn't quite cut it."

"Then why can't we make a vaccination from your blood, like you were talking about earlier?"

"Because, Time Lord DNA and Human DNA don't mix, and our immune systems are a bit more complicated than human immune systems."

Merlin nodded and turned about just in time to stop himself from tripping over a body sprawled across the road. Its flesh from the head down was stripped away and his skull was bashed in, the only remaining flesh was on his legs.

"That is disgusting," said Arthur gawking at the corpse.

"That's enough move along," said the Doctor.

They entered the town about midday. The buildings were black and blue, many had crumbled away, except for one, which was pristine and untouched.

"That is odd, how is it that house has been spared while the rest wither away?" said Arthur.

"That is where the energy signature is originating, and it is why we are here," said the Doctor as he rounded another corpse, "let's make a grand entrance."

The Doctor touched the handle before grabbing it and opening the door. Inside was something of odd bewilderment. A monk dressed in his habit and robes sat precariously in a chair, his foot tapping out a soft muted beat on the floor. A table with a single chair was before him and the Doctor and the room was lit from an unknown source.

"And so it begins," said the Monk, "careful you might miss the tip."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" said Arthur who began to draw his sword.

"It means young prince, the game is a foot."

Before either Merlin or the Doctor could stop him, Arthur stepped forward tripping a trap, which froze him still in a time lock.

"I see," muttered the Doctor, "Well then who are you? Gaspian, Slytheen?"

The monk raised his hood to reveal a young human face. "No dear Doctor, no I am none of those foul creatures."

"And how do you know my name?"

"Because you know mine."

Merlin, while the Doctor conversed raised his arm behind him and focused on Arthur with a few muted words, "Gollwng 'r hysgrifrwymau" his eyes glowed and Arthur fell back out of the space.

The Monk starred in amazement, "You are a cunning lad, few could aid in the escape of one trapped as he was."

"Ah…now, now I know who you are, hello Mortimus."

"I knew I wouldn't remain a mystery to you for too long, Doctor."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: A Masterful Plan Indeed!**

"So, let me guess, you've come here to wreak havoc, try to turn the whole human race against me. That's not all that nice now is it. Of course the Master already tried that once during this regeneration and I don't plan on having that happen again."

"Oh Doctor, so cynical, so punitive, you haven't changed a bit, the same old dry humor. How is that one girl you were with last, Smith, Sarah Smith I think it was." Mortimus picked up a small apple and took a bight from it, his monk's robe sleeve slid down his arm revealing several tattoos.

"Sarah-Jane, it's Sarah-Jane. And she is fine. Oh but look at you, sitting in your little hut, all the people around you dead or dying, and you won't lift one finger to save them."

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm not the Doctor in this little group, no, besides history says they die, this whole village, every last one of them, done and done. Who am I to argue with time Doctor?"

"But this, this disease is not meant to be here, it is not meant to exist on Earth. It is spread further and wider than anything they have ever encountered."

"And what am I to do about it?" Mortimus covered his face as he coughed, "It's not like I infected them. No I came here to escape the hell you created on our own little home planet. Gallifrey is in chaos because of you."

"You escaped, how?"

"A time lock with in a time lock, oldest trick in the book…" the trickster smirked at his little joke, "come to think of it Doctor, you never came to this period of time. No you always stood off in the distance, didn't interfere here, why now?"

"The TARDIS brought me here…"

"and lead you right to the main characters of this little story, Arthur and Merlin" Mortimus's voice darkened as his smile grew brighter, "no doubt you know just what type of influence this will have on their story, passed down through the ages."

"No, their story became legend long before I ever came here, nothing will change about that."

"Oh but it has, as I said I was not the one to release..cuh..cuhfffffff" Mortimus started to cough harder, "and I'm not the one who is trying to poison this time. As much as I hate you Doctor," his voice became scratchier, "the truth is I admire your tenacity…" The monk slid from the chair and landed in a heap on the floor.

"What…no no no no…."

"Is he going to be alright?" Merlin asked looking in through the doorway.

"We need to get in there, what was it you said earlier to release Arthur from the time lock?"

"Uh… Gollwng 'r hysgrifrwymau, but why?"

"No time, I'm going to step into this time lock, as soon as I do I need you to use that spell of yours to pull me out, got it?"

"I'll try…"

Arthur looked on stunned as the entire episode transpired before him. The Doctor rushed at the doorway at full tilt from thirty feet back, as he hit the doorway his flying leap slowed to a near crawl, flying through the air at near a standstill. Moments later the Doctor appeared in a different position near the door, dragging Mortimus behind him.

Merlin whispered and his eyes glowed and shortly after the Doctor and Mortimus were pulled from the doorway like a slurp of gelatin through a straw. The sound was tremendous as the Doctor and Mortimus finally were released and they both landed in front of the door.

"Mortimus! Who?" screamed the Doctor as he rolled over the pale Timelord.

"Mor-mor-igan," he grasped, "I hid it from her, a-a joke."

"Hid what, what did she want?"

"The only thing that can stop it. Doctor…Doctor…"

"Hold on I can save you…I can stop this, just hang on."

Mortimus fell silent, his eyes rolled back, and his body quaked.

"What do you want us to do?" said Arthur sheathing his sword.

"I need you to go back to the TARDIS, make sure nothing is in our way. Merlin help me carry him, and quickly we don't have much time."

**

The three of them made it to the TARDIS as quickly as they could. Nearly an hour later they arrived and were able to get Mortimus into the TARDIS. Quickly the Doctor began work. Strange machines came from the ceiling, others still from the floor. The TARDIS had changed its self producing another room right off the main control room. In it was a purple bath steaming and smelling of a strange pungent odor. Merlin and Arthur looked at each other in surprise. "Doctor that wasn't there before was it?"

"No, I just changed the TARDIS…no time to explain"

Placing Mortimus into the bath he closed the door and the machines began to work at him.

"What is it?" said Merlin, watching through the glass.

"Nano-genes, they can cure almost anything."

"Then why not use them on the rest of us?" said Arthur, who was now turned towards the Doctor with his arms crossed.

"I can't, they're specifically tailored to Time Lord DNA. You wouldn't understand, they just can't be used on humans."

"Ok then why not get whatever it is Morgana wants."

"Morigan, her son" said the Doctor in a correcting tone.

"Her son, how she has only been gone a year?" said Merlin surprised, "there can't be magic strong enough to speed up…"

"You would be surprised Merlin, black magic is still a problem. I might be willing to accept you as a magic user, but who knows what destructive things others may conjure."

"Oh for the last time, there is no such thing as magic. I'll prove it to you. Merlin come over here and sit down." The Doctor pointed to a chair near the control console. Merlin obliged and took a seat and the Doctor took to digging out an odd looking machine out of a small pile of other odd looking things.

"Okay, here it is the Pasian Energy Scanner, or a PES for short. Not to be confused with the candy dispenser, now cast a spell, make Arthur levitate or something."

"Don't you dare, Merlin…Merlin!"

Merlin smirked, "Chyfodi Arthur", it was an amazing bit of trickery as Arthur levitated in mid air and started to rotate around, gyrating in place.

"Put…Me….Down!"

"Interesting!" said the Doctor holding the scanner up to Merlin and then to Arthur.

"What?" asked Merlin, who incidentally lost his concentration dropping Arthur to the floor.

"OW! You couldn't have let me down more gently?"

"Hey you said put you down, you never said how."

"That is fascinating…most…" The Doctor ignored their antics and put the scanner into the center console.

"Your magic is well, magic…hard to explain, I mean it's there, then it isn't, then, it's not like anything I've seen before. Oh sure there was blood hypnosis, and the Devil, oh and the Carianites ability to use words to shape the universe, but this, it's brilliant!"

"Dya'hear that I'm brilliant!" said Merlin smirking.

"Shut up…"

"Oh…oh..no no no-no…." The Doctor ran across the room and into the medical bay. Mortimus was ceasing.

"Come on, you can do this, just regenerate…regenerate come on!"

"What's happening?" asked Arthur.

"The spores are fighting the nano-genes, he's dying."


	5. Author Note

Author Note: To all of you who enjoy this fanfiction, I appreciate your fandom and would like to thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm; unfortunately I will have to slow my usual persistence in adding to this story as I have started my last semester at University and am entirely swamped. As such I will be reducing my additions to once a month.

Thanks again, XtomJames


	6. Chapter 5&6

**Chapter 5: Gaius and the King**

Gaius, after belaying the guards from entering the dungeon, weaved his way through the crowd of searchers and guards readied for the search to find Uther. The king was readied in armor crested with a lion and eagle speaking to his guards in the main square.

"This man is dangerous, he has kidnapped my son and his servant, and is a stalwart magic user. He must be found, and brought back to me dead or alive!"

The knights bowed their heads and in unison, "Yes Sire"

"Ride out at your highest speed and find them…" Uther raised his hand and dropped his sword in a fast swing. The troop of horses rode out swiftly and in thunderous union. Uther held his helmet beneath his hand as Gaius approached.

"Sire, may I have a word?"

"What is it Gaius?"

"I only wished to ask sire, what is it that changed your mind about the Doctor, prior to his kidnapping Arthur of course…"

"A messenger was sent to me baring news that one of the outlying villages was attacked by a blue box laying waste to it. The entire land was stricken in a goo that smelled of rotten flesh. That same box was the one described to me by the man who came two days ago. Such a foul person must be stopped."

"But sire, the Doctor has been trying to help us, surely he hasn't caused this." Gaius opened his arms wide. "There must be some mistake."

"There is no mistake!" Uther raised his mailed arm, "and you would be wise to remember who your king is."

**

The Doctor found himself knee deep in a bath of gelatinous goop. Mortimus' body was submerged nearly completely into it. Both Arthur and Merlin looked on from outside the room.

"Ok Mortimus, all you have to do is regenerate. Just regenerate…come on Mortimus…"

The nano-genes hummed as more spores were released and neutralized.

Finally the monk's eyes opened and looked up blankly at the Doctor.

"That's it Mortimus, just regenerate…that's all you have to do."

"Re…regenerate…I…"

"Doctor what does regenerate mean?"

"Not now Arthur" said Merlin.

The Doctor held onto Mortimus before he stopped breathing. The nano-genes retreated and the pool began to fill with a purple ooze which fizzed and foamed. Moments passed as the Doctor held onto Mortimus. "Arthur," he said, "help me get him out of this…" Arthur obliged and pulled on Mortimus' arms as the Doctor pushed and together they got him onto the side of the bath.

"He couldn't do it then, regenerate I mean?" Said Arthur.

"No, no he couldn't. The nano-genes didn't work either. They killed the spores in the pool, but not in him." The Doctor's face was grim, his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes darkened. "Someone is messing around here and I don't like it!"

**

Morigan stood in the center of a decaying ruin. The mist of the water that surrounded the island rolled slowly over the top of the castle walls.

"Did he fall for it?" he said.

"Perfectly…" a tall man in monks robes stepped from the shadows, "He's clever, but not that clever."

**

"So what is the only thing that could stop a plague, bring life to the land…" The Doctor was now roaming around the center console, pulling at one strand and then another of his hair.

"Legends…legends…Arthur and Merlin legends."

"We're legend right, so it must have been something we searched for right?" said Arthur, who was now seated in the ripped truck seat that served as the captain chair of the TARDIS.

"There is only one I can think of, one thing that you searched for, and that is the Holy Grail. But it's a myth, the grail isn't a cup or chalice, it's…it's well it's an imaginary thing…besides it doesn't fit, you were king long before you took on that quest, and against Merlin's better judgment no less."

"Well if you're here, and this is all happening," said Merlin, "then isn't it possible things have changed, history has changed?"

"There are set events Merlin," said the Doctor, "that cannot change, others that are as malleable as a chunk of dough. Time-Lords are progenitors of time, we can see the permanent and the impermanent. Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail is permanent, it must happen."

"And what happens when I search for this grail?"

"I can't tell you that, no spoilers number one rule."

**Chapter 6: Siege on Camelot**

The trumpets sounded as the troop of knights returned. The King waited in the courtyard as the archers fired from the battlements.

"Sire…" said one knight who was bleeding from his arm.

"Report!" demanded Uther.

"It was…hideous… we've never seen anything like it. From the hells below it came. We were searching the villages, three more have been afflicted sire. On our furthest outing from Camelot this creature produced monstrous spores and spewed them from its center. You now fire on them."

"And what did it look like, this creature?" said Gaius.

"A large flower, with black peddles the size of a house."

"Sire, I suggest you use pitch, set them to fire. If they are the spore of a plant then they are vulnerable to flame."

"Let it be so, signal the archers and close the gates. Tell the towns people to flee if they can." Said Uther before turning to the knight again.

"And where is the rest of your troop, there is only five of twenty here."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6.2 The Siege on Camelot**

Catapults and arrows were drenched in black tar, put ablaze and fired upon the monstrous flower. As it approached its roots tore through the village branching out until thousands of vines had invaded each building and were slowly stretching up the outer walls of the castle. The towns people too afraid or too stubborn to leave are clearly visible, the roots now sucking the very life essence from their bodies. Red and blue leaves seemed to bloom out of their mouths and ears and their eyes all turned brown and slimy, ballooning slightly from their sockets as they filled with the pustule residue of the flower's sap. The pitch fires burned brightly as small glowing scorch marks on the stem of the flower only to wither away and burn out without much affect on the creature its self.

Finally the flow descended on the town well and moved no closer to the castle walls. Its roots took hold and began to suck the water from the ground.

**Chapter 7: Revelations **

"_Merlin…Merlin…awaken young warlock there is work to be done"_ The voice of the dragon reverberated in his head, a deep growl that was unlike the voice Merlin was accustomed to. _"Merlin, things are not as they should be, a great evil is afoot, even I have began to succumb to its will."_

Merlin awoke with a start, the whole of the TARDIS was shaking, Arthur was at his side pulling him up as the Doctor wrestled with various controls on the dashboard. "What is it?" Merlin said, his eyes squinting momentarily at the brightness of the whirring center console."I've locked on to something…it's not of this planet…alright…yes, there we go, Allonzi…" The TARDIS almost bounced before finally coming to a stop, throwing Arthur and Merlin to the floor.

"Oi, get up, we don't know what's out there and I can't have you two lazing about." The Doctor grabbed his coat and opened the door to find the top of a speckled mushroom. The TARDIS was perched precariously on an angle to onside of the bulbous fungi. "Right we have mushroom…" he said poking his head back into the TARDIS before stepping completely out and onto the mush of the mushroom cap.

Merlin and Arthur scrambled to their feet and followed after, "Mushroom, what does he mean mushroom?" Arthur said. It was a brief moment before he found out, the door swung open and the aroma of slightly rotting shitake mushroom filled his nose. Across the field that was the mushroom cap the Doctor Was bouncing up and down randomly on different spots. The two stepped out of the TARDIS with the door closing behind them of its own accord and were left to navigate the soft strata below them.

"Doctor, how big is it?" said Merlin as he reached him.

"Have a bounce, it's the only time you'll ever get to bounce on a Turrilian class starship" said the Doctor, taking another bounce, a child like smile crossed his face.

Merlin nodded reluctantly and pushed off with full force and flew into the air nearly thirty feet before returning to the mushroom surface only to bounce a bit higher the next time.

"Oops…Merlin you bet try to land somewhere else or you'll bounce even higher the next time" said the Doctor before he looked at Arthur, "Don't, you humans just…just don't." Merlin twisted in mid air and yelled, pointing his hand below him, "arafa 'm chwyrlïa" his speed instantly arrested and he floated there momentarily before the magic ended and he fell again, another three times he said this before he touched down.

"What happened?" said Arthur.

"It's the material of this particular fungi, it's a space mushroom, the outer shell defies general laws of physics it exerts a greater tension of energy than applied to it usually at a magnitude of five times. It's a defense mechanism, bounce whatever tries to hit you off. The whole 'I'm rubber you're glue' mentality…"

"Rubber…?" said Merlin, "Glue…" said Arthur.

"Right, now, the question is what is a Turrilian class starship from the Forest of Cheem doing here, in this time period?"

"Forest of Cheem, is it me or is this all confusing?" Arthur said to Merlin.

"The Forest of Cheem is a sentient highly evolved planetoid from over three billion years in the future, the race is a descendent of the rainforests of Earth, this planet. Let's find the entrance." The Doctor pushed lightly with the tip of his toe and bounced five feet in the air and landed ten feet away. Arthur and Merlin shrugged and followed in the same manner. Soon they found themselves on the other side of the mushroom cap where a slimy orifice was protruding. Rips and breaks in the lower stem reached almost to the bottom of the cap and a green ooze was running slowly from the cracks and seeping into the ground.

"Right, you two stay here, keep watch, yell if anything comes…" the Doctor put one leg into the opening, "and don't do anything stupid…" with that he slid down the opening and into the belly of the ship.

**

The Doctor found himself in the emergency pod room of the upper deck of the mushroom. The interior of the mushroom was sickly blue and it seemed to tremor as though it were breathing. Electronic computer modules were stationed every so often next to small fleshy doors.

"A cryogenic holding chamber, this isn't just any old ship…" The Doctor rushed to a nearby console and ran his sonic screwdriver over it. The panel blinked to life indicating life stats and a name _Theban Rasselorf_, the Doctor did the same at each of the consoles, _Mortimus a.k.a. the Trickster, a.k.a. the Meddling Monk; Defriad the Destroyer, Maliscent the Conqueror, Ca_'_hatom of Tri-Elsa Prime_, "These are prisoners, this is a prisoner transport. But what happened, did the flu do this? No…no the Kaliny Flu couldn't have done this." The Doctor back tracked and found another passage that lead deeper into the ship. He finally reached the engine room. The gaseous spores which produced the fuel necessary were rotten and the liquid plant flood which had been used to create the gas was leaking out of the long cracks which he realized was in the stem of the ship. There wasn't one tree in sight however which was a growing concern. Pushing onward he found his way up a long spine that ran down the center of the mushroom. At its top was the command center were three trees were, two of which had withered and died, gone brown and even stank of mulchy decay. But one of them was still green, the few leaves that were left, and the Doctor approached sonic screwdriver out.

"I know you are of the Forest of Cheem, who are you and explain why you've landed here."

The tree twisted slightly, a barky face budded with fresh leaves long since needing pruning contorted heavily. Its feet were bare and rooted into the ship its self, and small grey flowers were sprouting all over him.

"I am the Forest of Cheem Vallri'din Constable." The tree's voice was harsh and raspy, "the feel of fresh air comes with you. How does one of your kind know of the Forest of Cheem?"

"My kind?...Oh no I'm not human, Time Lord," the Doctor said putting his sonic screwdriver away, "I've been to the forest a dozen times at least. What happened here?" The Doctor went to a computer console and began to poke around, the time listed was for the year seventy-six new universe calendar .

"We crash landed here," said Vallri'din.

"Obviously, but why?" Said the Doctor

"Because of the trickster,"

"You mean Mortimus?"

"No…Maliscent the Conqueror, they tricky twig of a flower released Kaliny Spores into the air vent poisoned the ship. "

"But how did you get here, on Earth, six billion years before you should even exist…"

"Mortimus tried to use an emergency..emerg…ceh…emergency temporal transmatter device, but caught us …" the tree began to wheeze.

"..caught you…you were traveling at faster than light…a hyperdrive? You were powering a hyperdrive with gas? He got caught in the matter stream and wham you got dragged along. But what about the ooze that's coming out, plant food?"

The tree nodded, "bu…bu..but its tailored to us, these primitive plants if it touches them…"

The Doctor stood bolt straight up and looked to the tree, his face darkened into a furrowed brow.

**

Arthur and Merlin found themselves walking around the edge of the discombobulated mushroom. Finally to arrive at the stem which was oozing with the gelatinous substance that smelled rather of brimstone.

"Aghk what is this?" Merlin exclaimed loudly, "it smells worse than your under-garments…"

"Hey, they only smell that way because you don't wash them properly."

"I wash them properly, you're the one who sweats them up every day."

The two of them stopped at the edge of a small river of the goop, the grass at grown wildly high there and had bent over already. Wild flowers were sprouting with ferocity right before their eyes.

"Merlin, are those flowers growing rather quickly?"

"Arthur…I don't think we should be worrying about the flowers…" Merlin pulled Arthur's arm for him to turn, as he did he saw what Merlin was looking at.

A tall tree was walking towards them, its branches were gnarled, it had a human like face protruding from a long gurthsome trunk, and its roots seemed to pull it forward.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Trees are Trees and a House of Cards is a Hub Away**

Merlin and Arthur looked on as the tree moved closer. More enthralled by the sight than fearful. It slowly crept forward and stopped thirty yards from them, just on the other side of the ooze river. The face contorted for a moment before all of the branches shivered and quaked, lending the necessary movement to free dozens of whirling seeds.

"Go my children…go and conquer this planet so we may destroy those who captured us." It's voice boomed as the first seeds hit the ground and nearly instantly sprouted. In a matter of minutes they were as tall as Merlin and Arthur, and a few minutes more they'd be nearly fully grown.

The Doctor rushed out of the orifice, and all slimy, slid down the side of the mushroom ship landing on the rotting broken pieces of the ship, which had fallen off in the crash. Merlin, rushed to him as Arthur drew his sword.

"Doctor…those trees, they're…"

"Moving, I know. Don't attack them…just…" the Doctor looked at Merlin, "where's Arthur?"

"GAAH" Arthur yelled as he charged at the first tree sapling, his sword swung through the air and chopped clear through its top, leaving it a branchless stump.

"No…stop…it's like a Hydra…Just…don't…"

Arthur ignored the Doctor's yelling and chopped through another, and then a third. The fallen branches instantly sprouted all around him growing just as quickly as the originals. In seeing this Arthur retreated, splashing through the ooze river. Where there were only a dozen or so, now there were nearly thirty. The Doctor and Merlin rounded the ooze and met up with Arthur .

"How do we fight these things?" Arthur gasped.

"Merlin, can you set the ooze on fire?"

"I think I can…"

"Good, do it get low enough that the gasses above it don't burn you. Arthur get down." The Doctor pointed to the ground and then crouched himself.

Merlin nodded to the Doctor and ran up to the ooze, laid on the ground and said, "Brydia ata"

In that instance the ooze ignited, the flame engulfed the gasses it released sending a flaming ball straight up into the upper atmosphere. In this same instance the saplings were set ablaze, their young screams peaked just as the rumble of the explosion returned in echo. The large tree only remained, scorched, but alive. It's leaves were still smoldering, and whatever seeds it had left were gone. It grumbled in an earthy tone and moved towards the Arthur, the Doctor, and Merlin.

The flame, alight upon the ooze, raced toward the ship only to be met by a still active emergency shield. Behind the shield the ooze began to back fill, collecting in a massive reservoir.

"Doctor what do we do?" Arthur said as they three rejoined.

"We get back to the TARDIS. Vallri'din is soon going to die and has set the ship to self destruct, with that massive amount of ooze back filling it will destroy the whole of this area. You still have the residue on your shoes?"

"Residue?" Arthur looked from Merlin to the Doctor.

"The bouncy…from the Mushroom…." The Doctor looked exasperated.

"Oh..I…" looking down at his shoes, small mushrooms were growing there, the ooze that covered his shoes fed the residue from the ship to start to grow new fungi.

"Well that'll do, watch your step."

The Doctor and Merlin made their way to the undamaged side of the mushroom. The Doctor stamped his foot hard and went flying up thirty feet or so, landing on to the side of the mushroom feet first. Merlin did the same.

"Artificial gravity, orients to the center of these mushrooms."

Arthur, took a step towards the mushroom and flew into the air, his momentum carrying him well past the mushroom top and into a lake several yards off. The last thing heard from him was a defeated yelp and the name "Merlin". The Doctor shook his head and with a light step bounced and landed in front of the TARDIS. Merlin tried in similar, but failed landing on his face on the other side of the TARDIS and bounced up again.

"DOCTOR….Doc…Tor…." each syllable jolted out of him as he continued to bounce back and forth with ever increasing height.

"What!," the Doctor said as he looked out of the TARDIS, "would you stop playing around, we need to get Arthur and get off this Mushroom before it explodes."

"I'd love to stop playing around, but as you can see I can't Stop myself….stop myself…arhosa myfi!" Merlin stopped mid fall, just above the TARDIS before the instance of the spell wore off and he landed on top of the lantern.

"Ok, now get in…" The Doctor turned back into the TARDIS and flipped a few switches. Merlin climbed inside and closed the door behind him. The TARDIS whirred out of place and a moment later was halfway in the lake in front of Arthur, who was swimming to shore after kicking off his boots. He swam right into the TARDIS, the extrapolative shielding just blocking the on rush of water.

"Alright there Arthur?" The Doctor said, patting the wet, and rather pissed Arthur on the back."

"Brilliant, thanks…you're replacing those boots."

"Oh now come on, I told you not to charge forward" said the Doctor, before he closed the door again and pushed the TARDIS on ward. A few second later a subspace percussive blast hit the TARDIS rocking it about.

The Meddling Monk and Morrigan watched from the summit mount, the tallest mountain in the region as the mushroom exploded. The crater was large the lake blown away, and an onrush of the ocean to the south began to fill the crater. Between it and the natural river running from the north, it took no longer than an hour to cover the spot where the mushroom once stood.

"My my, time has been disturbed here, can you feel it Morrigan?"

"I do, it is as though the cards that held the roof of time have fallen."

"Ah…A Cardiffastry…"

"A what?" Morrigan looked to the Meddling Monk, Mortimus shrugged," Catastrophe, Cardiff…no?" he shook his head, "never mind."

The TARDIS appeared in the Hub of Torchwood, or what would have been the hub. The old building was just north of Cardiff, a converted guard tower, now filled with the latest technology. The Doctor was the first to exit, followed by Arthur and Merlin. A large free standing console housed a small green screen radar, and a handful of tape reel computers buzzed and turned. Before him was a young Captain Jack Harkness, looking astounded at his appearance. His usual get up of a World War Two trench coat and matching shirt and trousers were traded up for a pair of green and orange plaid pants, two inch high rise platforms, and a very starched frilled shirt.

"Jack?"

"Doctor?"

"What the…it's a new look." The Doctor's eyes furrowed deeper yet, trying to cover the laugh that welled in his chest.

"Do you like, latest fashion…god I love the seventies, third time living through them…of course the second time I was sort of buried but hey…."

"Doctor, why is he dressed so…" Merlin said, Arthur was out right laughing, "I must talk to father to higher him as our court jester."

"Uh…right…Merlin, Arthur, this is Captain Jack Harkness, welcome to the nineteen seventies. Though, if this is Torchwood…then, jack we're not in Cardiff are we?"

"Yep, the old Hub, before it was destroyed in two years. This is the original Torchwood…well not the original, but near enough."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Future's Past Future Caught Up

Jack walked around a desk and opened the door to his office, his usual clothing now donned.

The Doctor, Merlin, and Arthur were seated in the main hall of the building when he entered carrying a bulky file.

"I don't know if you recall, Doctor, but this is a file on Arthur and Merlin which was just sent to us after review from UNIT."

The Doctor looked on in surprise, an expression that lasted only for a moment, before he regained his composure. "So, I can't believe it was this version of me who played that part. I knew it had to happen in the future but I didn't know when."

"Doctor, what do you mean 'played that part'?" said Merlin.

"You Merlin…there is much more happening here than meets the eye and Mortimus is partially behind it." The Doctor looked at Jack who seemingly knew exactly what he was on about.

"Doctor, you destroyed the ship though, in your seventh self. Morgán and Mordrid were incarcerated and held in special cells. Do you remember this at all?"

"It's there, but it's like something is making me forget, something darker, more evil, a shadow is at my back." The Doctor stood and pressed his fingers to his temples. Jack continued, "it was the fight for Excalibur, a group of inter-universal warriors attacked a nature reserve where UNIT forces were transporting a nuclear missile and apparently an archeological excavation had unearthed the sheath of Excalibur."

"I know this…what am I missing, something…"

"The Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was brought in out of retirement to assist you and your companion Ace."

"Ace…ace….Ace up my sleeve…I know this…" The Doctor grabbed at his head as images and memories flooded in.

"A demon like creature called the…"

"Devourer of Worlds was summoned." The Doctor spoke interrupting Jack, his eyes were a glaze and a strange voice raked from his mouth. "The Devourer of Worlds, the Destroyer, a dark shadow that marks the end of time" said the Doctor, before he fell to the floor with a thud. Both Jack and Merlin rushed to him while Arthur stood and drew his sword. A great shadow emerged against the wall, a shadow of horns and fangs and claws.

The shadow reached out from the wall swiping at Merlin; Arthur reacted, catching the shadow with his blade, which cut perfectly through the shadow. From out of the mouth of the still unconscious Doctor, a hideous laugh arose before the shadow dwindled and disappeared.

"Doctor…wake up…Doctor…" Jack hauled the Doctor up to a sitting position just as he came to with a wretch.

"GAH! …Time…time…time is changing…something's happening…" he clasped his hand to his left heart.

"The transverse matrix is activated" said Mortimus, his hand was manually adjusting a dial on a rudimentary control board. Morgana stood by watching as a glimmering opening formed in the middle of the castle of Avalon.

"Beyond this veil lies another world, where magic and the power you seek originate. This place is a gateway between universes and the magic you use leaks through here. Those touched by this place draw upon its power. Morgana, if you wish to best Uther Pendragon and to change the fate of this history step forth and find on the other side the strength you need." Mortimus pointed to the veil, a wry grin across his face. "And we will see just," he thought, "what you have Doctor."

In the darkness of one of the arches of the dilapidated castle stood a teenage boy, and before either Mortimus or Morgana could reacted he raced into the veil.

"Mordrid…" Morgana looked to Mortimus before taking her own leap into the veil.

All that had happened in 1963 reformed in the Doctor's mind, both what had happened, what would change. The flow of time erupted with possibilities and for the first time since their arrival in the 1970s he could see time as he usually could.

"Doctor, are you okay?" Jack said, pulling him up again, now to a standing position.

"Yes, right…wait no, maybe…I'm not sure. MULTI-BENE!"

"Doctor," said Merlin, "do you know what that shadow was?"

"Shadow?"

"Yes, the one that attacked us," said Arthur, as he sheathed his sword.

"No, no, maybe…I need to check the TARDIS…" The Doctor walked out of the main hall followed by Jack leaving Merlin and Arthur behind.

"Jack…" he said, "Jack listen to me, Arthur is going to die, Excalibur will become more than a sword created by that dragon. Someone has messed with time and we need to stop it."

"That shadow, Doctor, it wasn't what I think it was?"

"The Destroyer, the Devourer or Worlds, something has changed, somehow it has been with me for a long time. I'm afraid that the past is not right and the damage might be irreversible."

Jack returned to Arthur and Merlin who had discovered the television. The images of cars and women and commercials blazed across the screen and they stood in awe.

"Okay fellas, the Doctor says the TARDIS is still repairing its self and it will be awhile until it's good to go. In the meantime I don't think there will be much of a problem showing you around."

"What is this? Magic of some sort," said Merlin pressing his hand against the TV, "it's warm…but not burning."

"Uh…" Jack scratched his head, "it's a television, it shows images that are being broadcast over radio waves. It's a machine." Jack switched it off, "I think we need to get out of here for awhile. Let the Doctor deal with his demons."

"Where to then? Into the village, we should get your horses read, Merlin" Arthur ordered with his usual air of arrogance.

"This is going to be a long day…we aren't going to use horses, I have my own sort of transportation." Jack jammed his thumb towards the door and turned to exit. Swinging the main doors wide open the full view of a 1960s VW bus, painted black with Torchwood stamped on the doors, seemed to shimmer in the daylight.

"A black carriage without horses…and how does it move, magic too?" Merlin rushed out the door and up to the carriage. Walked around it several times before coming to a stop at the front. "It's metal, all metal."

"Climb in, we'll get something to eat." Jack opened the front door and side door for them and then climbed into the driver's side. As soon as Merlin and Arthur were seated he started the engine and pulled out onto a street past two very tall brick walls. Both Arthur and Merlin held on for dear life grasping their seats and anything else that seemed solid.

"This…this is mad, it is crazier than a wild unbroken horse in a thunderstorm" exclaimed Arthur. Merlin merely grinned as Jack drove the bus at a great speed of forty miles per hour. It wasn't long before they found themselves in downtown Cardiff where Jack slowed to a reasonable twenty miles per hour. The buildings were of brick, stacked together in close quarters. Old and new collided as business men and shopping women dressed in the latest fashions, hair dues, bell bottoms and skirts, bustled up and down the streets. It was a sight for the early agers. Merlin and Arthur escaped the metal carriage as Jack parked it in an on street space.

"Welcome to Cardiff circa 1971. Industry is booming, business is fair, shops are abound, and you'll fit right in I think. Just don't wave your sword around and if you have to pee ask for a bathroom."

Merlin stood in the middle of the street looking around, it was a brilliant sight. "Oh yeah, don't stand in the middle of…" Jack turned around just in time to see a car racing up the street, Merlin also reacted, his hand went up, "ATAL!" his eyes glowed and the car came to a screeching halt.

Jack rushed to Merlin and dragged him off the street, "Don't, and I mean Don't stand in the middle of the street. You're likely to get killed."

Much of the day was spent wandering the streets of Cardiff getting strange looks, eating food at Jack's expense, and otherwise marveling at the modern world. It wasn't until they reached a medieval fair did Arthur and Merlin enter into their element at the surprise of the fair goers and showmen.

"Jack, I thought you said we're in the 1970s…this looks like well our time" said Merlin.

"It's a fair, people put on these sort of events to celebrate and experience history."

A jousting tournament had just commenced and the reigning king and queen, dressed in faux-period clothing marked by the 1970s fashion had raised their arm for their champion to win. The horses galloped, and in a short brief strike of the taller silver clad knight's lance broke off knocking his opponent to the ground.

Arthur and Merlin, ignoring Jack's order to not to enter, clamored over the railing past the seated festival goers and raised their arm to the king and queen. The rather enamored actors looked at each other before addressing Arthur and Merlin.

"Who art thou peasants?" said the queen.

"I am Prince Arthur, this is Merlin my page. I wish to enter your tournament."

"Really now, Prince Arthur, have you Excalibur pulled from the stone?" The other knights laughed at the king's joke, as did a large portion of the crowd who had caught the conversation.

"No," said Arthur, "I have no need for that sword in a contest against your knights. Or are they Too Cowardly to face their Prince."

"So be it!" said the would be king. Arthur stormed to the opposing end where the losing knight had fallen, followed by Merlin. Jack, rather amused, watched on from the sidelines.

"Is he one of the regulars?" said the queen to the king. "I don't know…he seems certainly adamant on winning this. I wonder if he knows the game is rigged…the competitor's lances are collapsible" the king whispered to the queen.

In the opponent's tent the regalia of a knight was strewn about as though no one cared. The metal was tarnished and dented, and while Arthur still wore his usual armor and chain, he began to don the armor left there. Merlin examined the lances as Arthur put on the chestplate, which with the modern attachments slipped on without issue.

"Arthur, these lances aren't going to do anything against those knights. No wonder the opponents are losing. They collapse in on themselves." He showed him one and pushed down on the end, it went in and then out again.

"You can fix that can't you?" Arthur said, "I won't lose to such lowly knights. They dishonor the title."

"Maybe you shouldn't do this, Jack did say it was a festival, they really aren't knights."

"Come on Merlin, one who claims to be a knight, wears their armor, carries their swords, rides a horse and attacks is nothing less than a knight, even if they are shallow pigs."

Merlin nodded to this and said a few words over the hollow lance to fill it with wood. He pressed down on the end it didn't give. "I'll do the same to the others in case you break one."

Arthur and Merlin walked out of the tent, the dented armor repaired and shining, if by magic, and Arthur mounted the horse. Merlin raised one of the fixed lances to him and he squared himself to joust.

The other knight was also ready, a shoddy gauntlet was perched on the end of his lance and he waited for his king to signal. With a drop of the hand the meet began. The horses thundered down either side of the long railing each man aiming for the other's torso. The silver clad knight didn't maneuver to avoid the hit, he didn't know too. The strike was rapturous as he flew from his saddle for the first time in his career and landed with a thud on the ground. The lance Arthur held had crumpled and was left broken and splintered. Each person rose in the crowd and applauded loudly, just as both the royal actors also stood in bewildered astonishment. Arthur rallied his horse and galloped to the king and queen's stand, raised his visor and starred at them. "Who is my next challenger?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: The End of the Road**

Mordrid and Morgana stood before the alters of a great shrine. Great windows looked out into the darkness of space and there, among them, a great chasm was visible. The Meddling Monk stood before the shrine working dials and controls.

"There, that is it. The Veil of Avalon, a chasm to the world where the magic here is born from. Go there and you will have all the power in the universe at your fingertips. Go and become the legendary Morgaine, destroyer of worlds."

"I…I don't" Morgana sputtered," don't want to be a destroyer or worlds, I just wish to stop Uther."

"Then take the power and stop Uther Pendragon and his reign." Mortimus twisted around and looked at her, and then to the teenaged Mordrid. His blue eyes seemed to glow pressing in on Morgana and even Mordrid, hidden behind his dark long hair, he seemed to be sucked into Mortimus' plan.

The renaissance fair was reeling as the fictional jousting contest turned real. Arthur and Merlin both appeared content as the final competitor fell from his horse and clambered off unwilling to fight. The King and Queen waved to Arthur as he trotted to them.

"Dear knight, your prowess is formidable; we grant you knighthood of our realm. Tell us, what is your real name, it is apparent Arthur Pendragon is your realm name."

"Realm name," Arthur said, "what in Camelot is a realm name?"

"Come now," said the king, "your acting prowess is even greater than your combat skill, but tell use where you do come from? London perhaps?"

"I have no clue what you're on about. I'm Arthur Pendragon, son of Uther Pendragon, prince and heir to the throne of Camelot and dragon slayer." Arthur's words dripped with arrogance and Merlin had to smile. "Arthur, do remember we're in nineteen hundred and seventy-one. Maybe Camelot doesn't exist anymore."

"Don't be daft, Merlin, of course Camelot still exists. She is the greatest kingdom of our time."

"Yes, Our time…"

The king and queen looked to each other in disbelief as the conversation continued, and in similar instance Captain Jack Harkness appeared.

"I see you boys have made a bit of a statement. We should be heading back the Doctor is almost done."

"Right, right..fine…" Arthur just there took off his armor dropping it where he stood. "Merlin wash that up and put it back in the tent."

"Gah…come on…it's their armor and I don't have any…"

"Don't worry about it," said Jack, "just leave it and get back in the van."

It was another long frightful drive back to the Torchwood headquarters where the Doctor met up with three of them. He was waiting for them by the TARDIS which was parked in the driveway of the large mansion. His long brown coat was covered in a slick looking goo and his hair was ruffled from it's usual faux hawk.

"Doctor, find out what was wrong?" said Jack, "these two made a right state of the renaissance fair here."

"I'm sure they did. Get in, all of you…no not you Jack." The Doctor pointed at the Captain and gave him the 'I'm older than you do as I say' look, even though Jack was a few thousand years older than the Doctor now.

"Come On Doctor…I'm stuck in the Seventies…look at the style…the technology, I need some fifty first century now how…"

"Well we're going to the eleventh century, not much help to you." The Doctor winked and closed the doors behind him. With a whir the TARDIS was gone.

"Damn it Doctor…" Jack folded his armed and walked into Torchwood.

Several miles south of Camelot the TARDIS appeared in the wake of a massive assault upon the outlaying farms and homes. Several houses were destroyed, others over grown by vines, and a path of cleared debris, dirt, rock, and hillside made a straight shot to the gates of Camelot. Long in the distance the haze of smoke could be seen.

The Doctor, Merlin, and Arthur stepped out into the dugout lane.

"Okay kiddies, here's the deal, those plants are just a distraction. Mortimus is on to something bigger, deadlier, and if we're not careful history altering. If I had to guess it has something to do with the anti-magic policies of your father and the uprising of magic users that was supposed to occur this year." The Doctor was pacing back and forth, his hands to his head pulling at his hair.

"Doctor, I think there is something wrong with Arthur." Merlin was holding his now doubled over friend who was oozing green goo from his afflicted left arm.

"Yes, I know, he was infected like you were…the question is why hasn't the flu affecting you yet."

The Doctor came eye to eye with Merlin scanning over him with the sonic screwdriver. "It has to be something to do with the magical energy that is embedded here. Think….think think….oh it's there…come on!"

"Could I be immune because of the magic?"

"Part of it…okay basics, King Arthur…grail…giant…GIANT…he defeated a giant…the giant who killed his father…Merlin guided him after making the elixir of life…Elixir, that's it…a Tharaform cure….but we need a Vesparform queen…"

"A vespa-what?" Merlin sputtered as he pulled Arthur upright. His face was green and ill, a downtrodden tired aura emanated from him.

"Quick, we need a large queen bee or just a normal worker bee." The Doctor ran into the woods before waiting for an answer.

"What For…" Merlin yelled out to him.

The Doctor stormed into the brush and several hundred feet in he found what he was looking for. A bee's hive was situated along the V of a tree trunk. The bees were much larger than the bumblebees and wasps normally found and the head of a much larger insect seemed to be propped up and outside the hive.

The hum of the bees changed as he approached and the mandibles of the queen bee clamped shut as it turned its multi-lens eyes focused on the Doctor.

"Children, protect me, an intruder has come…"

"Wait…wait wait…hold on, I'm not an enemy of the Vesparforms."

The Queen's head twisted to one side and chomped it's mandibles.

"I'm the Doctor and I'm in need of some of your jelly, life and death situation, sort of an emergency…"

"The Doctor…there are legends of you told in my home world. What is a time lord doing on this planet?"

"I could ask the same of a Vesparform queen, but I have neither the time nor the patience at this moment to answer you. Please give me some jelly, my friend is Dying…"

"Bah…time lords…always demanding…lofty creatures you are…remember this Doctor, I trade you this for a future favor."

"I don't suppose you've seen a movie called The Godfather?"

"Moo-bee….hahaha….never heard of such a thing. Come time lord take the honey you have asked for." A small bulge appeared and then popped in the side of the hive where a small gush of honey slowly ran down the side. The Doctor rushed forward and with a small handkerchief collected a moderate amount of thick brown honey.

"Remember the deal Doctor…"

"I will, thank you." The Doctor returned to Merlin who was moving his hands up and down Arthur whispering words of magic to stem the metamorphosis.

"Merlin, spread this over his arms and place a small amount in his mouth. We need to act quickly and change the honey into a metastasis poultice while it's on him. Once it's changed it will enter the blood stream and destroy the mutagen that has invaded his body."

Minutes later the honey was spread over the infected areas and fed to the now unconscious Arthur. The Doctor looked at Merlin and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "Merlin, to save him we need to make this work fast, the sonic screwdriver can amplify the affects but not enough, I need you to make the sound that comes out of it as loud as possible, can you do that?"

"I…I can try."

"Good," the Doctor started waving the sonic screwdriver over Arthur's arms and then on his face, "okay start amplifying it."

Merlin nodded brought his hands together over Arthur and said, "Gwna hon blymio 'n drwm." The sound amplified by tenfold making a high pitched screech. The green ooze subsided and Arthur's face began to deflate and return to normal.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Return to Devastation**

The walls of Camelot were in ruin, the inhabitants petrified, and the last remnants of the guard encircled around Uther. Swords drawn, shields born, engulfed in woody vines and leaves in the center of the throne room. The whir of the TARDIS echoed in the unnerving quiet of the room. Uther stood in solemn repose his eyes the only part of him able to move. His knights long since dead the vines could only barely reach him, their poison coursing through the few parts invaded.

Arthur stepped out, sword in hand, leading the way for the others who stepped out after. The Doctor after an assessment at a glance ran to Uther and the knights.

"Father?"

"Is he alive?

"By the looks of it he is, his eyes are still able to move, but just barely." The Doctor pulled out a normal flashlight and shined them in the king's eyes. "We don't have much time, we need to get him out of this bramble. Start hacking at the roots near the door. It'll take them a while to respond and regenerate." Arthur went to the two great doors where the vines seemed to grow through the wood its self and spread and began to cut through them.

"Merlin," said the Doctor, "you're going to have to do something disturbing, I need you to remove the knights. Which means removing the vines from their bodies. They're no longer the visages you knew them as, they only stand now because of the liquid eating them from the inside out."

"I…" Merlin nodded and began to pull vines from the knights. As each vine fell and the cuts at the door were finished, the green vines fell to the floor brown and with the last vine out, the knights fell in sequence into a liquid goo and armor. Uther fell to the floor without the support, his face pale and marred by black protruding vanes.

"Quickly get him on the TARDIS we can't stay here much longer. Camelot has fallen, as history had it." The Doctor pointed to the TARDIS. Arthur dragged his father's dying body into the blue box and with an effort onto the console seat. Merlin and the Doctor entered as vines crashed through the door.

"Isn't there anything we can do to save Camelot?" Merlin asked, as he came up to Arthur and Uther.

"This was destined to happen. Legend has it the fall of Camelot came when Arthur fights Mordrid in one final battle. Camelot will never be again what it once was." The Doctor flipped a few switches and the familiar whirring came again. He swirled the console screen to him and with a few more switches flipped, buttons pressed, and a hammering here and there, a blip came up one of a vortex manipulator just outside of Cardiff.

"Can…can't you…" Uther's word came stunted and slow, "isn't there anything you can do?" Arthur finished for his father.

"What happened to defeating a giant, finding the grail? Is that all for naught?" Arthur looked at his father and back to the Doctor. "I want to fight, I need to fight."

"Legend does have it you created a table of knights…I don't suppose that's happened yet?" The Doctor looked quizzical…"Maybe…maybe history isn't as it seems. Hang on!" With a few more flips and bashing, a pull of a plunger, and a twist of a twirly bit, the TARDIS shifted violently and in that moment landed.

"We're right before we left for the first time. Arthur, Merlin, you must gather what help you can and defend Camelot."

"What about history?" Merlin looked confused. Arthur's mouth was agape, and Uther sputtered.

"History isn't right, I can see it now. This time is different, this place, it's like it warps the fabric of time its self. I'll go to where Mordrid, Morgana, and Mortimus are and stop them. Alright, go…"

"What about my father, we can't leave him…" Arthur was cut off by the Doctor, "You must, can you imagine the confusion of having two Uthers?"

"But how can we prove to…well…the Uther of this time that we need to do what we are about to do. He is hardly going to listen to Arthur if he tells them to evacuate and get everyone out. And if I use magic, he'll have me imprisoned."

Uther sat up and looked at his son and then to Merlin. "Give…gi…" he took from his belt a small pouch which contained a letter. "I…received…today before…no one..just me…no one knows…"

Arthur took the letter from his father's hand as he fell unconscious.

"Go…go on," The Doctor pointed to the door, "And Merlin, take this…" he handed him a sonic screwdriver. "It was said you had a magic wand of great power…" Merlin smiled as he took it and exited the TARDIS.

Merlin and Arthur rushed off to Camelot after watching the TARDIS fade into nothingness. The long walk ended abruptly as Morgana raced by on horseback towards Camelot. Arthur started at her only to be stopped by Merlin.

"Arthur, there's something wrong. Didn't she used to have a scar on her left check from the time she was scratched by that baby griffin?"

" Yeah…"

"Even magic couldn't remove it remember? Gaius tried to use that potion and I told you how I had enchanted it but nothing worked."

"Yes Merlin, what are you getting at?"

" She doesn't have it."

Just then as Merlin finished speaking, a younger Arthur and Merlin could be heard coming up from behind them.

"Must she ride so fast?" the younger Merlin complained.

"A little galloping to hard on you Merlin? Don't tell me you're still sore about falling on your backside crossing that river."

"No, I'm almost dry now. She didn't have to spook my horse like that."

"Come on Merlin, it was a joke." The younger versions of themselves trotted past their elder's hiding place.

"Now what? He brought us back too far."

"I can see that Merlin."

"We need to see the Dragon."

"The what?"

"The Dragon, the one still under the Camelot where your father had it chained up. He'll know what to do."

"It better, I don't want to be charbroiled before this is all said and done. Wait, how do you know he'll still be there?"

"This two weeks before I set him free."

"You did that?" Arthur was bereaved. "How could you?"

"I made a promise and kept it. You don't know how many times I've saved you with his help. You're supposed to be the king to bring magic back to the light. That is your destiny."

The Doctor twisted and twirled, pulled and flicked, hammered and tapped the console all the while Uther sat, sickly, pale, and stunned into silence by what he was seeing. Finally in an effort to regain his composure, the once great king sat up and questioned, "What is this place?"

"It's a TARDIS, Time and Relative Dimension in Space…"

"It's magic…you've corrupted my land…huhkmph…kmph…"

"No, the TARDIS isn't magic and I really had nothing to do with what has happened to Camelot. But you, you are very much to blame Uther Pendragon."

"I, I saved my people, by outlawing magic I prevented its use against the people of Camelot and my kingdom."

"So you say, but would any of this be happening, would Morgana be trying to kill her father to gain the throne? Would the magic users be so oppressed by your rule that they'd want you dead? No." The Doctor came to eye level with the king, his eyes seemed to pierce into him, "I am older than you could know, older than you'd care to want to live. Only a handful of people know this sensation. I have seen the fall of Troy, the destruction and resurrection of the Daleks, even faced the Devil himself. Each had their consequences, each had their purpose. You didn't seen the consequences Uther Pendragon, and now you will die from your misguided path. There is nothing I can do for you. The sanguine blood of those vines now courses within your body. Let us hope that your son and Merlin can prevent this future from happening."

"Arthur sure, but Merlin is just a servant boy. How can he help?"

"Merlin…Merlin?" The Doctor's ego emerged, "Merlin has saved your kingdom so many times I've lost count. He has saved your son an even greater number of times. He is perhaps one of the greatest wizards of his time."

"The boy, a wizard?..." Uther slumped down in disbelief. Moments later the TARDIS reformed on the deck of the space ship where Mortimus now waited. The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS.

"You're too late Doctor" said Mortimus, "they have already gone to the other side of the rift."

"What did you do Mortimus?"

"I sent them to the place where their magic was born."

"Do you know where that Rift leads, it leads into the very heart of the Medusa Cascade."

"Yes Doctor, and they will soon have the power to reshape the very future of this world."

"Not quite Mortimus, this future, this future is on its way to the dustbin. I left Arthur and Merlin to tend to things."

Uther stepped out of the TARDIS with the last of his strength, his sword a cane and the door a crutch.

"You destroyed my kingdom all because of some twisted plot to take revenge on the Doctor? Who is this man?"

"He is another Timelord, Mortimus, also known as the Trickster."

"Lord of Time or not, it is you that I will take with my last breath." Uther lunged at Mortimus with his sword. The Timelord stepped back in surprise and, in misstep, fell into the rift. The Doctor jumped forward grabbing Uther from falling into the rift as well.

"He will surely die in that abyss. I can die with honor at least."

"Not yet Uther. There is one last thing you need to do. I can't close this rift here and I need someone to feed information to the TARDIS."

"This is beyond me. Would you mock a dying man Doctor?"

"Look all I need you to do is hold down a button, a big red wonderful button." The Doctor's face was sad.

"Show me…" Uther stood erect with a huff and the Doctor took him to the console. Ran his sonic screwdriver over it and had Uther place his hand on a panel with a large red button. "Just hold it there as long as you can."

The Doctor ran into the TARDIS and closed the doors behind him. Running around the console and swinging the screen with him he ran through so many controls it looked almost a blur. With one hand on a whirly doodad, a foot holding down a switch, his right hand twisting a dial he slowly began to close the rift remotely through the control of the rift manipulator.

With a percussive round the rift closed and the Doctor ran back out into the room of the ship. Uther Pendragon was slumped, his hand pressed heavily on the button in death. The Doctor pulled him from the console and laid him out on the center seat. In a respectful death pose the Doctor gave him last rights, a gift for the misguided king. A coin over both eyes, his hands holding his sword.

"A tomb fit for a king. Only one last detail for my past self to find." The Doctor quickly scrawled a note saying the last wishes of the great king, the great king Arthur. "Morgana will only suspect when she returns Uther is, or was, his son. That will buy me some time."

Arthur and Merlin waltzed past the guards and found their way down to the archives dungeons of castle. Here Merlin took point and with some effort found the way to the grotto where the Dragon was kept. For the first time Arthur was face to face with the Dragon on terms of friendship.

Merlin roared in Draconic which brought the Dragon to him almost at once. A quizzical astonished look took to the Dragon's face as he saw Merlin and Arthur before him.

"Young warlock, you have discovered something few have ever had since the reign of Uther. A Dragonlord you have become? What is the purpose of this visit, to bring the Prince here and expose your magic?"

"We are out of time. Dragon, quite literally, we are out of our time. We are not the Merlin and Arthur from now, and we seek your help."

The Dragon turned a nose to him and sniffed a long breath. "I see, the smell of time is around you, you have travelled through time recently. So then, Arthur, are you the great king we have been waiting for?"

Arthur looked at the Dragon with disdain, "I don't know, I am not king yet and the life of my father…I just don't know."

"Well then, what do you want me to do?"

"Is there magic you know of that allows one to travel through time?"

"Such magic is beyond you young Warlock, far beyond you. It even took four of our kind to weave such a spell."

"Then we have no other choice, we have to wait it out."

"Wait it out, Merlin?" Arthur looked astonished at the conclusion, "we're years behind where we should be."

"All the better then. We can use the time to prepare and become better than we are now. Knowing what is on the way. I can learn more magic, you can learn more techniques."

"So that's the plan…that's the plan for us to continue on for the next five years. Hiding?"

"No, Arthur, no….wait…do you hear…hide." Merlin rushed to the rock ledge and climbed down to the ledge below followed by Arthur. Just in time for Merlin to come down into the cave.

"Dragon! What am I to do?"

The Dragon began his discussion with the young Merlin as Arthur and Merlin lay in hiding.

"Swear to me, if I do this for you, you will free me."

" I swear it."

Merlin and Arthur clambered up the ledges after the young Merlin left. "You did that to save me? You promised to set the Dragon free to help me?"

"Yes, but that is in the past now. Dragon," Merlin turned to address the Dragon, "You must attack Camelot as you planned, we cannot change history beyond recognition. We will meet you on the outskirts of the forest. There we will go with you to find the magic users who can help us become better than we are."

"I shall do as you ask, Dragonlord."

**Chapter 12: Five Years the Same**

Five years later.

Merlin and Arthur are sparing with each other. Arthur with a sword magically formed, an upgrade from the Excalibur Merlin once forged for him with the Dragon's help. Merlin weaved magic so fast that each spell seemed to dance and dazzle through the air. Each spun and crashed against Arthur. The Dragon was laying off from them watching their match.

Around them was the highest peaks of the Himalayan mountains, covered in snow and thick clouds. The ancient ruins in which they to residence was once a great center of magic.

"We will be ready. Tomorrow we return to Camelot." Merlin nodded at Arthur's statement as he pulled up from his attack.

"We were lucky to find this place, even if it was so close to our time to return. The spells I've found here and that old sword we made for your will go far."

"You're getting a little cocky aren't you?" Arthur poked fun at Merlin, who now sported a short brown red beard.

"Yeah well, if we could be better prepared I'd like to know how."

"Then, Dragonlord, I will await your call. Two days will be the time for your return." The Dragon stood up on all four claws and stretched much like a cat, jumped into the air, and flapped off to hunt.

"Two days." Arthur nodded and climbed into their camp, which was planted in a Dravidian archway. A dark purple fire crackled over a small stone.

"Can you believe the place's we've seen?"

"Merlin, what we've seen should never have happened. When we return it will have to be as though we never left."

"I know, it will be hard to keep this time a secret."

"We'll have to go back to being Prince and Servant."

"Oh well you can do your own laundry, you know how to now."

"Oh right like I'm going to do my own laundry when I get back there, don't you think that will be a little suspicious?"

"A little suspicious we'll be dropping in on the fight with a Dragon."

"Right…" Arthur leaned back and laughed. "To think the look on Father's face when he sees us swoop down on that tree with a Dragon."

"He'll die from a heart attack or worse."

Two days pass, training and preparation to leave were set. Merlin sat at the peak of the tallest mountain the Dragon could find. "I'll leave this here as a reminder of our time out of time." The purple flame crackled some more as Merlin set the stone onto the snow covered cap.

The rush of wind pressed against them as the Dragon flew higher and swooped to gain speed. The land below them dropped away and soon the mountains too disappeared. Green fields and the blue ribbons of rivers and small black pock marks of lakes passed them by until the rivers were left behind, the hills, and were replaced by sea. Cool dark blue marred by white crests and the occasional fishing boat.

The long tedious trip ended with them landing just outside of Camelot in the dead of night.

"We'll have already left by now with the Doctor," said Merlin, and as if on cue the alarm bells wrung in the distance. Merlin and Arthur raced to Camelot, hooded and cloaked. Upon reaching the Princes' chambers they quickly changed clothing and with a bit of magic shaved.

"Okay, I'll go and speak to Father. I'll tell him a report about a great monster has made its way to us and that it would be the best thing if we evacuated the town to the north."

"I'll talk to Gaius, there could be something of use for us here."

The two nodded and split up.

Arthur pushed open the doors to the main chamber his father was seated precariously reading a letter only just delivered to him.

"Father, grave news, a terrible…"

"Not now Arthur, I'm busy."

"This can't wait father. A monstrous creature has been reported heading towards Camelot. We must offer up a defense and defeat it."

"What are you talking about. What monster?"

"God I can't believe how thick headed you are…"

"How dare you…I am your king, you will speak to me with respect."

Arthur stood even more erect, "Father, an unknown monster is attacking the countryside. We should evacuate the people of Camelot to the north hills and make a stand here in Camelot."

"What has gotten into you?"

"I haven't waited five years, Father, for you to be a pigheaded idiot."

"Call me one more name and I will throw you in the dungeon."

"Father," Arthur pulled from his pocket the letter given to him by his former father.

"You only just received this letter from Josephine of the Allisan clans."

"How…how…"

Arthur read the letter aloud, the folded crumpled parchment nearly falling apart and yellowed.

"You gave this to me father, you gave it to me before you died by the hand of the monster that is coming. All of Camelot was lost. You need to do as I say."

Uther sat in silence, staring at his son. "How have you come to know of this?"

"How I know isn't important, what is, is the safety of Camelot."

Uther nodded to this and waved his approval. His face turned ashen as he stared off into the distance. Arthur ran out of the room and rallied the knights.

"Evacuate everyone to the north hills, to the caves where we used to store our emergency rations. And do it as quickly as you can."

Merlin found Gaius reading in his study. "Gaius, it's been so long."

"What are you getting at Merlin, I'm busy and don't have time for your games."

"Right", said Merlin, "I need you to do something, I need you to leave the castle and go to the north hills. It's the only way you'll be safe."

"Be safe, from what?" Gaius closed the tome he was reading.

"I will have to explain later, but you need to trust me."

Gaius looked bewildered but nodded. He had come to trust Merlin's judgment in such seriousness.

The vines came, the giant tree came, the disease came, but not one person was caught by its preliminary intrusion. The Knights were situated along the front walls of Camelot, headed by Merlin and Arthur. Uther sat among the ground guard barking orders.

In a direct defiance of his father's orders Arthur and Merlin took point at the highest point above the gates.

"Hold your ground, cut any vines that get over the or through the wall. Use fire and whatever you can. Do not let them touch you. Armor will not protect you from their sting." Arthur barked left and right. Merlin stood poised on the battlement. "On your mark," said Arthur. Merlin nodded and in a loud roar called the Dragon to his side.

Uther cringed in anger at the sound of the Dragonlord voice and, muttering under his breath, he readied himself amongst his troops. The Dragon swooped in landing in front of the main gate.

"Young Warlock I do hope you know what you're doing."

"All the preparations are completed, all that is needed is your fire."

A buzzing sound from the south came closer, a swarm of Vespaform warriors landed before the Dragon and Merlin, who by now was seated on the massive shoulders of the Dragon. Arthur was still on the battlements readying himself to jump onto the back of the Dragon.

The warriors flitted their wings as each of the knights backed up and away from them. "Our queen welcomes the Dragonlord and has sent us to inform you of her demise at the hand of the vines. We will fight beside you." The buzzing noise of their wings cut in and out as they spoke.

"We thank you. Please protect the front line," said Arthur as he climbed into place.

The Dragon jumped into the air and carried Merlin and Arthur forward leading the front line. The main enemy lay in the town below Camelot and the Dragon carried them to it in a blaze of speed. The front line knights moved forward to the very edge of the town where they were ordered to cut down any vines.

In a whirl of fire and magic Merlin and the Dragon began their first assault. Vines rocketed towards them from the giant tree and the combined force of Merlin's magic and the Dragon's breath burned them away. The battle raged on and Arthur, finally near enough the ground to jump from the Dragon's back did so.

In Camelot the main court yard became ensnared by vines sprouting from the ground. The knights fought gallantly but to no avail. Soon they met the same fate as they did before. Uther fought even harder, each swing cutting down vine after vine until from behind a vine struck him through the heart. His crowned helm fell from his head as his body fell and crashed onto the paved ground.

The Vespaform warriors began to sting the tree as Merlin, the Dragon, and Arthur struck out at it. Each strike damaging one part or another. Yet each strike seemed only to push it on further, rather than retard it's efforts and advancement. Finally in desperation Merlin yelled "Terra frigas forma" the ground grew cold and froze rock hard.

"We need a final blow," he yelled to the dragon who relayed the message to Arthur. Arthur lifted his arm for the Dragon to lift him and with a bone breaking effort the Dragon carried Arthur above the tree and dropped him. His sword was aimed with precision and with a final word from Merlin the sword shone with the light of the sun. When the light died Arthur was on the ground kneeling and a long charred gash was through the center of the tree. Purple and white flames licked out of the gash engulfing the tree.

Uther's funeral was that of a king, he was buried in the grotto where his fellow knights from the great war were buried. The following week was filled with mourning and the inauguration of Arthur as king. Merlin at his side, Arthur finally found his destiny.

However, Merlin still hid his true feelings and a year later he was fiddling with the sonic screwdriver the Doctor gave him. When he found himself inside the TARDIS once more.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor looked around the console, "Temporal transmat, it looks like the sonic screwdriver wanted to come home. Or maybe it was just you…"

"But I was…I mean Arthur was…"

"Yeah know, don't worry you'll be back in time for dinner. That is if you really don't want to come with?"

"No…no I want too, but where are we going?"

"Ah, the US, town called Eureka, been picking up some strange singles there. Temporal disturbances. Someone has gotten a hold of something capable of creating a quantum bridge. That could be very bad."

"A quantum bridge?"


End file.
